Hired bishops claim they were short-changed as APC paid them less than half of the promised N100,000

SEVERAL of the hired hands asked to impersonate Christian clergymen at the recent unveiling of the All Progressives Congress (APC) vice presidential candidate Senator Kashim Shettima have protested the fact that they have not been paid the promised sum of N100,000.

Former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, emerged as the APC presidential candidate after coasting home in a landslide victory following the party's convention in Abuja last month. Following his victory, he laboured to select a running mate after publicly declaring that he will pick a Christian from the northeast geo-political zone as his deputy but the process appeared fraught with difficulty.

Earlier this month, however, after weeks of prevarication, Asiwaju Tinubu, himself a Muslim, ended up selecting a fellow Muslim in former Borno State governor Senator Kashim Shettima. His choice has polarised the country as the Christian faithful feel highly marginalised and already, several senior party members have left the APC over the matter.

Yesterday, Asiwaju Tinubu formally presented Senator Shettima as his running mate and to deflect some of the criticism over the Muslim-Muslim ticket, he tried to pack the venue with Christian clergymen. APC loyalists and members of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers were all given Christian robes and asked to appear as clergymen to create the impression that they supported Asiwaju Tinubu.

However, this footage of bishops dressed in cassocks has backfired big time as one of them who identified himself as Joseph Odaudu, confessed that they were hired from a motor park. He added that the APC promised to pay them N100,000 each but he only got N40,000 of the pledged amount.

Mr Odaudu said: “They came to meet us at the car park behind Eagle Square and they promised to give me N100,000. They bought food for us and took us to another place where they gave us clothes to dress like Christian leaders and reverend fathers.

“However, after we finished, they only gave me N40,000 and another person said they got only N30,000. I don’t know why they changed our agreement because they said they had N100,000 for us. I am a Christian and I am supporting Tinubu but I hate when people lie and fail to deliver on their promises.”

However, the Tinubu Campaign Organisation (TCO) debunked the reports of fake bishops, saying they are clerics without big names. TCO director of media and communication, Bayo Onanuga declared that the bishops were not hired.